Hinata in the Land of Islands
by CuteCButtons
Summary: Hinata helps Kakashi when he is injured, and he offers to train her in his off time in return. She goes on a mission to the Land of Islands and has to protect her new friends from an invasion.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If you recognize anything or anyone from the anime, I'm just borrowing. If you don't recognize it, then it's mine because I made it up. Set during the time-skip/pre-Shippuuden. **

**Reviews Creative Energy**

OOOOO

Chapter 1

OOOOO

Hinata headed for her favorite training ground. No one practiced at night, so she was sure to have peace and quiet. Just to be sure, she activated her Byakugan and scanned the area; the energies of a few sleeping animals and an owl glowed. In the distance there was a much larger outline, though the energy level of the creature was very low.

Curious and cautious, Hinata crept to the figure that looked like a weak human of sorts. She stepped into a thick copse of trees and found a male figure lying on the ground. He was definitely a shinobi because he was wearing a shinobi vest. But his chakra was so low…

Hinata gasped. There was no mistaking that shock of silvery hair and the Konoha forehead protector slanted over one eye. It was none other than Kakashi-sensei, Naruto-kun's friend and teacher. _But he looks so weak! Can it really be him?_

With a quiet step, Hinata moved next to the figure and knelt down to scan Kakashi-sensei with her Byakugan. This was no illusion. He was exhausted and his chakra was severely depleted. There were also a number of shallow cuts and scrapes all over his body.

Hinata managed to pull Kakashi over her shoulders in a fireman's carry, though their height difference made it very awkward. A soft moan escaped his lips and Hinata winced, afraid she had further injured the man. She took a step, and then another. After a while she was able to ignore the discomfort and settle into a slow rhythm. When the two were almost at the gates of Konoha, Kakashi stirred and mumbled something.

"Where am I?"

"We're almost home," Hinata reassured him.

A soft sigh was her answer.

"Kakashi-sensei, what happened to you?"

"An S-rank mission. Success, but…" he trailed off.

"I'm taking you to the hospital."

"No, it's nothing serious. I'm just tired…just need to sleep…sleep…"

"But I don't know where you live, and the hospital doctors will take good care of you."

"Live right down this street…third house on the right…blue door. Just want to rest at home," he murmured.

Hinata frowned, but she decided to follow through with his request. The apartment door was locked.

"Kakashi-sensei, it's locked," she whispered.

Kakashi tried to fumble for the key, but his extreme tiredness and awkward position made it difficult.

"Where is it?" Hinata asked as she carefully lowered Kakashi so that he was standing, though still leaning heavily against her.

"Extra key," Kakashi frowned. His limbs were too exhausted to obey his commands. He could barely think straight, let alone manipulate secret compartments.

Hinata managed to find the key by pushing on a shingle that Kakashi seemed to be glaring at with a baleful expression. She turned the knob and managed to maneuver him into the apartment. It was simple and tidy, if a bit dusty, as if the owner was used to not spending much time in it. There was a small kitchen off to the side of the living room. For a second, Hinata considered plopping Kakashi-sensei on the couch, but it was a loveseat and wouldn't be very comfortable for him.

They made their way through the darkened doorway that Hinata assumed led to a bedroom. She was correct. Although her night vision was excellent, now both shinobi were exhausted; they bumped into the side of the bed, and Hinata almost fell over as she scrambled to help him onto it. He collapsed gratefully on his back, and Hinata slumped in the dark by his side for several minutes as she regained her breath. Her favorite training ground was almost two miles from the apartment, and Kakashi was a tall, healthy man. While he was by no means overweight, he was _definitely_ very heavy for that last half mile.

Hinata lifted herself and lit the bedside lamp. As it sputtered to life, she took stock of Kakashi's injuries. None were very serious, but all required care. Luckily, she always carried a pot of her ointment with her.

After raiding the bathroom, Hinata set about cleaning Kakashi's wounds with a washcloth and a basin of warm water. There was a cut on his stomach, several on his legs, one on his forearm, and one right across his cheek.

His mask was ruined, so Hinata simply cut it away. Kakashi never stirred as she went about her ministrations. When he was sufficiently covered in ointment and bandages, Hinata wiped the back of her hand across her brow and blew out the lamp before leaving quietly.

OOOOO

The next morning, Hinata brought a basket to Kakashi's house. She stood uncertainly outside. If he was awake, then she should knock first, but if he was still asleep, she didn't want to wake him. Finally, she decided to use her Byakugan to scan for his figure. He was still lying down, so she quietly let herself in through the front door.

In the light of day, the apartment looked just as stark as it had the previous night. There were no pictures on the walls or in frames. The bedroom had a small desk and a large wooden cabinet. The kitchen was sparse, though there was a large box of dog biscuits on the counter.

Hinata reapplied ointment to Kakashi's wounds and rebandaged them. Then she filled a glass with water and set it on the bedside table along with the rice balls she'd brought. Kakashi never stirred, though he was definitely breathing. His chakra was still incredibly low, especially for a shinobi of his caliber. Hinata drew the blanket over his form and let herself out.

OOOOO

"Good morning, Hinata," Chouji greeted cheerfully. They were both heading across the street at the same time.

"Good morning, Chouji-kun."

"Are you doing your grocery shopping, too?"

"Something like that," Hinata grinned shyly. "I need some ingredients for a medicine."

"Oh, I see. What are you looking for?"

"I have the list somewhere…" Hinata searched her jacket pockets until she found what she was looking for.

"How is your training going, Hinata?" Chouji inquired as they stood looking at bunches of spinach.

"It's going well. Thank you for asking. And yours?"

"My Dad's been working with me a lot."

"That must be nice, getting to spend extra time with him," Hinata smiled. Inside she felt a whisper of sadness, but she brushed it away.

"Yeah, it's great. He always treats me to ramen afterward."

Hinata giggled at a memory of Chouji and his father facing Naruto and a flustered Iruka at a ramen eating contest.

Chouji sweetly helped her select the best ingredients from the produce section, giving her helpful advice on how to find the freshest products.

"Arigatoo, Chouji-kun," Hinata waved. "If I can ever help you, just let me know."

"Bye, Hinata!"

OOOOO

Hinata carefully carried the thermos and basket as she made her way through Konoha's busy streets. It was actually past dinnertime, but for some reason many people were still out and about. She hadn't bothered replacing the key, so she simply went in, cautious as she edged around the door so as not to drop the basket.

Though Kakashi had shifted his position slightly, he was still breathing slowly and evenly with his eyes closed. Hinata set down her burden and gently reapplied the ointment to his legs and arms. When she lifted his shirt to have access to that wound, she thought for a moment that his breathing had shifted a little. It wasn't until she was running her finger along his cheek that she realized he was awake. His right eye studied her sleepily.

Hinata gasped and blushed a little.

"Are you feeling better, Kakashi-sensei?" she inquired shyly.

"A little. Still very tired."

"You used up most of your chakra, so that's not abnormal. Here." Hinata held out the thermos and unscrewed the lid.

Now Kakashi's right eye looked downright skeptical.

"It doesn't taste as bad as it looks."

Kakashi wasn't convinced, since the gloop in the container was dark green and a bit…_frothy_.

"It should help you recover your chakra a little. It's my own recipe."

The Great Copy Ninja was actually considering copping out, but Hinata was already helping him to sit up, so he sighed and took the thermos.

He eyed it. Still green and frothy. But he was a shinobi of Konoha, so he bravely took a sip, trying not to wince in anticipation.

His visible eye widened in surprise and he took a deeper draught. (A/N: Imagine Green Machine.)

"It actually tastes pretty good," he remarked. "Refreshing." He could feel the increased chakra flow immediately.

Hinata watched as the color infused Kakashi's face, and she smiled when he smacked his lips thoughtfully.

He looked quite impressed, actually. "Hinata, this is an amazing medicine. You made this yourself?"

"Mm-hmm," she nodded. "I've been developing it over the past couple of years."

"My chakra is almost completely replenished."

"Good," she smiled. Then she moved to pick up the basket. "I brought you some dinner."

"You didn't have to," Kakashi insisted.

Hinata shook her head. "It was no trouble."

"Thank you again for the rice balls. When I first woke up, I definitely didn't have the energy to go shopping, and I don't have any food in the apartment at the moment," he shrugged sheepishly.

"I'm happy you liked them," Hinata grinned. "You should rest some more. And I've brought you some more ointment. You need to reapply it two or three times a day, okay?"

Kakashi thoughtfully reached a hand toward his own face. His face turned a bit pink when he realized he didn't have his mask on.

Hinata flushed red. "Oh! I'm sorry about your mask. It didn't seem like it could be mended, so I cut it off to clean the wound. I can replace it!"

Kakashi shook his head looking amused. "There's no need for you to apologize. I'm very grateful for what you've done for me already."

"It was no trouble," Hinata smiled. "I'll come and check on you tomorrow with another batch of the chakra replenishing drink."

"Thank you, Hinata."

"Goodnight, Kakashi-sensei."

Memories were filtering back to him. The little Hyuuga girl, the one that everyone—even the members of her own clan—thought was weak and timid and useless, had carried him more than two miles and patched him up expertly. She had even come back to check on him several times, which revealed her thoughtfulness and thoroughness. On top of everything, she had developed a revolutionary chakra-replenishing medicine. There was much more to this young woman than most people saw.

_Well, a good shinobi looks beneath the underneath… _

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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If you recognize anything or anyone from the anime, I'm just borrowing. If you don't recognize it, then it's mine because I made it up. Set during the time-skip/pre-Shippuuden. **

**Reviews Creative Energy**

OOOOO

Chapter 2

OOOOO

There was silence throughout the Hyuuga compound as Hinata padded quietly down the hall. She leapt nimbly over the high wall that surrounded the estate and made her way quickly to her favorite training spot, a quiet cove along Konoha's lake.

Hinata carefully folded her jacket and pants and set them down on top of a rock. Her simple, two-piece lavender bathing suit was more than enough for the balmy summer evening air. She knew it was slightly ironic that a girl who never got invited to pool parties—or any parties for that matter—owned three different bathing suits, but she'd learned her lesson after being seen by Naruto-kun. Even though he never realized it was her, Hinata made sure she always wore a bathing suit if she was going to train with water.

Hinata did a few warm-up leaps, but she was fairly warmed up from that day's training. She'd been working on her kaiten with Neji in the morning and with Kiba and Akamaru in the afternoon, and the exercises had given her a few ideas. She spun on one foot like an ice skater, and then she allowed her arms to flow into the spin, calling the water up and out, around and around. She infused the revolving water with her chakra and the small waterspout grew. When she ended her spin, Hinata had a pleased grin on her face.

In a burst of elated energy from having worked out the beginnings of a new technique, Hinata sprinted clear across the water, leaping and tumbling along its surface like a gymnast. She smiled up at the stars.

_Naruto-kun, do your best_, she wished up at the brightest star, willing it to send him her message of support and admiration. _And by the time you return, I'm going to be strong._

Hinata stretched her arms out gracefully and then lifted one leg straight into the air. Then she bent completely backward and balanced on the water on the tips of her fingers before righting herself and beginning to move in a rhythmic sort of trance.

An onlooker might describe her training as a beautiful dance: the joining of water, spirit energy, and moonlight to form pure art. Hinata gave a bow to an imaginary audience before shifting and concentrating her chakra. Little whirlpools formed and grew on the surface of the lake at varying differences from the dancer. As if following some secret melody, jets of water shot into the air. Hinata varied the intensity and height of the sprays, her arms arcing gracefully as they conducted her watery symphony.

There was a chakra signature at the edge of the lake, but it seemed familiar, so she didn't panic. Sometimes Shino-kun showed up to keep her company or walk her home. Although it didn't seem exactly like Shino-kun, Hinata was very skilled at sensing danger. There was no harm to fear from the person at the edge of the water. Hinata sent the current arcs of water back into the lake and waited calmly until the stranger got closer.

Her eyes opened wide with surprise. That was Kakashi-sensei's chakra signature!

"I never realized," he began comfortably as he stopped in front of her on the water, "that Kurenai was a water jutsu user."

"She's not. Kurenai-sensei is more of a genjutsu user."

"You didn't learn that from Kurenai?"

"No. I just started training with water on my own a few years ago," Hinata shrugged with a little smile on her face. For some reason, she felt at ease with Kakashi-sensei in a way she seldom did with others. Kurenai-sensei was her mentor, a woman she really looked up to. For that reason, she was highly conscious of trying to impress her and live up to her expectations. It was the same with Hokage-sama, but even more so because Tsunade was a very powerful and commanding presence. Her father…she wanted to please him more than anyone, but she never really felt comfortable around him. He always reminded her of her shortcomings; in fact, Hinata felt she _had_ more shortcomings when he was around. But Kakashi-sensei was so laid back. He seemed almost… pleasantly surprised. And he had praised her medicine.

"I've never seen anyone around here with that much untrained natural talent for water-based elemental jutsu," Kakashi commented.

Hinata blinked. No one had ever said anything like that to her before.

Kakashi formed a seal with his hands.

Instinctively, Hinata activated her Byakugan and watched him closely, noting the order of the seals and the way he mixed up the chakra in his body. She watched it change colors subtly with each new seal and become more intense after every repetition of the set of seals.

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Blast Technique)!" Kakashi called out. A giant wave of water formed itself into a dragon and spiraled high into the air.

54 hand seals. Hinata had never seen a technique that required that many. She didn't practice quick seal making very often, but it seemed like a very good idea after seeing Kakashi move through them so quickly. And she even had the impression he'd been going slow for her.

Luckily, Hinata had an excellent mind for memorization, even if she did have difficulties using taijutsu against her family members. The Byakugan also gave her a clear understanding of how each seal related to the chakra being molded. Her hands mimicked Kakashi's movements as her determined voice chanted the names of the seals being formed.

"…tori!" she finished.

Kakashi studied the wave of water that leapt up and formed itself into a dragon.

It was only about 1/5th the size of his own water dragon; however, considering the fact that Hinata had only seen the technique once and had managed to replicate it on her first try, Kakashi was impressed.

The dragon settled calmly back into the water.

"That's pretty good, Hinata," Kakashi nodded approvingly.

Hinata's cheeks turned pink at the praise and she smiled. "Thank you for showing me that technique, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi nodded in recognition of her thanks. "Will you be here again tomorrow? If I have time, I might drop by again and show you some other water techniques."

Hinata nodded eagerly.

"It's pretty late. You should get some sleep, Hinata."

Hinata fetched her clothes and the two made their way back to the village in companionable silence.

OOOOO

Kakashi didn't show up the next night. Or the night after that. Or the night after that. Still, Hinata continued her training and practiced the new jutsu he had taught her, as well as the one she was developing on her own. She wasn't offended or worried about his absence. After all, he was an important Konoha jonin and had many important things to attend to. Plus, he wasn't even her assigned Jonin instructor, so it was really very kind of him to even take the time to talk with her, let alone share his knowledge with her. Come to think of it, Kurenai-sensei had never actually taught her team any of her private techniques. _Well, there's probably a reason for that_, Hinata thought to herself. Genjutsu users usually had a natural inclination toward that skill. Also, the members of Kurenai's team were all from families that had their own specialty jutsus.

Kakashi had been called away on a mission. He returned late at night a week after his first impromptu training session with Hinata. As he passed the lake, he couldn't help wandering over curiously. He didn't expect the girl to be there. After all, women—and men, come to think of it—often got tetchy if you didn't show up on time. His own team had frequently pouted and shouted if he was only an hour late.

But there she was, resolutely practicing the move he'd taught her. He watched silently as she moved quickly through the seals. Now her water dragon was an exact replica of his own. In just a short time, she had managed to master the technique.

"You've improved quite a bit," Kakashi noted after appearing in a whirl of leaves on the water.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," Hinata grinned shyly.

"Next, let's try the Water Clone Technique." Kakashi raised his hands, one forming a seal level with his chest, the other reaching high into the air.

OOOOO

Hinata matched her teacher move for move. Water Shark Missile Technique, Water Dragon Blast Technique, Water Encampment Wall, Great Waterfall Technique. Finally, Kakashi used the Water Clone Technique to form two water clones of himself before using the Hiding Mist Technique that he'd shown Hinata as an afterthought at the end of their previous training session.

The mist grew so thick it blocked out the light of the moon. Byakugan activated, she searched for the figures in the fog. Actually, the mist brought the relative temperature down and made Kakashi and his clones stand out even more. She crept behind the real Kakashi and placed her kunai against his throat.

"Mitsuketa, Kakashi-sensei," she said quietly.

His eyes widened in shock, and then crinkled to match the pleased smile on his face. Even though he did have a blade to his throat, he was proud of Hinata's progress.

"Well done, Hinata."

Their training had stretched out over a month even though they had only met about six or seven times. Set schedules didn't work with Kakashi. Hinata, on the other hand, was always sure to be there unless she had a mission. Lately her missions had all been D-rank assignments around Konoha, so she had been there practicing diligently every night.

Sometimes—make that "most of the time"—Kakashi wouldn't show. A few times he'd only shown up at the very end of Hinata's own training session. No matter how late he was or how long it had been, Hinata never complained and always thanked him gratefully at the end of each meeting. Kakashi appreciated that. There was so much less pressure than he felt with any other student, not that pressure ever made him show up any earlier.

Also, Hinata was an excellent student. She listened and observed attentively—and _respectfully_. Sometimes Kakashi suspected she was learning even more than what he actually set out to teach her. The Byakugan made it easy for her to understand new techniques, and her own precise chakra control helped her pick up new things.

Hinata was always very humble. She worked very hard. Perhaps she never thought she was good _enough_, but she wasn't the sort to fish for compliments by pretending to be modest. She was just generally…appreciative. She honestly cared for people and their well-being. In many ways, she was the polar opposite of Uchiha Sasuke.

"Congratulations. You pass."

"I…pass?" _I didn't realize I was being tested!_

"Yep," he quipped as he turned around and gazed up at the stars.

"Kakashi-sensei, what does that mean?" Hinata wondered.

"Nothing. Everything. Anything," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"I see," Hinata grinned behind his back. She sheathed her kunai and gazed up at the moon smiling down through the fading mist.

Kakashi turned around and watched her face thoughtfully. He had taught her all of the water jutsu he knew. And now he had no idea what to do with her. He supposed he could keep teaching her, if that's what she wanted. She'd picked up the water jutsu moves so quickly that he was really curious to see if she could do as well with other ninjutsu. _Though not Chidori_. Sasuke's defection to Orochimaru had hurt him, too, even if he didn't show it. It would be a long time before he ever taught another student that technique.

"Some people think there are shapes in the shadows of the moon," Hinata began shyly. "What do you see when you look at the full moon?"

Kakashi lifted his gaze to the sky. Her question had taken him by surprise. He didn't speak for ten minutes. Hinata didn't rush him.

"I see…the loving eye of a friend that has passed on," he finally answered.

Hinata smiled wistfully, knowing there was no need to say anything else.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If you recognize anything or anyone from the anime, I'm just borrowing. If you don't recognize it, then it's mine because I made it up. Set during the time-skip/pre-Shippuuden. **

**Reviews Creative Energy**

OOOOO

Chapter 3

OOOOO

Hinata coughed delicately. That last blow had broken a rib. _Kakashi-sensei is so _fast

"Hinata! Are you all right? I'm sorry. I should have been more careful." Kakashi sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. His informal student had been keeping up so well that he'd unconsciously picked up the pace.

"Mm-mm," Hinata shook her head, "Please give me a minute."

"Of course, why don't we stop for now?" he suggested gently. "I can carry you to the hospital."

"No, not yet. It'll only take a minute."

Hinata laid down on her back and breathed in deeply, concentrating her healing chakra in her ribs.

Kakashi's visible eye widened in shock, though he said nothing until she was finished.

"Hinata, where and when did you learn healing jutsu?"

"I picked it up over the years. With the Byakugan I've been able to observe various medical Shinobi as they worked: Medic ninjas at the various Chunin exams, Sakura-san healing Lee-kun, Ino-san healing Chouji-kun."

"And you picked it up just by watching?" Kakashi asked carefully.

"Once you see the basics of medical jutsu, it's pretty much the same," Hinata shrugged, pushing herself up on her elbows and then sitting up fully. "You take healing chakra and control it to heal whatever wound there is. Sometimes Kiba will let me practice on him. Shino takes better care of himself. I mostly practice on myself."

_She makes it sound so easy_. "I see." Kakashi's right eye crinkled with amusement.

OOOOO

Hinata knocked politely on the door to Kakashi's apartment. She leaned against the frame and watched Konoha's inhabitants bustling about their business. Three minutes later, the door opened.

"Hinata," Kakashi cocked his head in mild surprise. Once he'd recovered from his injuries, she'd never called at his house. "Is something the matter?"

"Ano, I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor?"

"Of course, come on inside." Kakashi stepped aside to let Hinata in and then closed the door quietly behind her.

Farther down the street, a pair of watchful eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Hinata set her basket down on the small kitchen table and pulled out several thermoses. Kakashi tilted his head in amusement. His informal pupil looked so serious today.

"Ano, I know it will probably be inconvenient for you, but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me test my new version of my chakra replenishing medicine."

"New version?"

Hinata nodded eagerly. "The version you took is effective, but it doesn't last very long. I've been experimenting with different ingredients to extend the shelf life of the medicine. Hopefully, if I can get it right, it will actually be a useful medicine."

"Hinata, it's an _extremely_ useful medicine as it is," Kakashi corrected. "Don't sell yourself or your research short."

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," Hinata blushed lightly. Then she returned to her point. "But it would be even more useful if shinobi could take it with them on long missions."

"Whew!" Kakashi whistled. "I see what you mean. Being able to suddenly replenish your chakra during a battle could mean the difference between victory and defeat."

Hinata nodded emphatically before explaining in detail how she wanted Kakashi to test the medicine.

Kakashi listened patiently, his visible eye studying her shining face. _She's so excited about this_, Kakashi noted. _It's really rather cute_.

"As it happens, I've been assigned to a fairly long mission. I'll be gone for at least 2 weeks, potentially more. I'm sure these," Kakashi paused to pat one of the small thermoses, "will come in handy."

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. I really appreciate this."

"It's no problem, Hinata," he reassured her. "I won't be around for awhile, but you should keep practicing that move I showed you last night. Just try not to burn the forest down while I'm gone," he winked.

Hinata grinned up at him and nodded before gathering up her basket.

"Take care, Kakashi-sensei. I look forward to seeing you when you get back," Hinata called back over her shoulder as she stepped onto the street.

Kakashi smiled. _I look forward to seeing you when you get back_. He couldn't remember the last time someone had said that to him.

OOOOO

Hinata ducked and blocked a round house kick. She returned the attempted blows with a flurry of her own. Though none of them connected, she felt much stronger and more confident about her taijutsu. Her daily training was paying off, as was her frequent sparring matches with her older, more skilled cousin.

An opening appeared. Hinata's eyes widened with shock when the full force of her palm unexpectedly connected with Neji's nose.

"Neji-niisan!" Hinata exclaimed, quickly taking out her handkerchief and helping the normally poised boy apply pressure to the bridge of his nose. "I'm so sorry," she wailed.

"It's not your fault," Neji wheezed nasally.

"What is the matter?" Hiashi's strict voice preceded his figure striding down the hallway.

"F-father…" Hinata trailed off, her spirit quailing slightly under that harsh gaze. "Th-there was a-an accident."

"Hn."

"It wasn't an accident," Neji corrected matter-of-factly. "I let my guard down and Hinata scored a hit."

"Oh." Hiashi blinked, slightly taken aback. Timid, weak Hinata had managed to score a hit on Neji, the current genius of the Hyuuga clan? Ah, Neji was probably thinking about that girl again. They didn't talk about such things, but Tenten's name had once come up as they discussed Neji's normal training routines. The boy had blushed, if only slightly, and Hiashi had made a mental note. As the head of the Hyuuga clan, it was his job to know things people thought he wouldn't bother paying attention to.

"Very well," Hiashi nodded before moving on to begin the Hyuuga clan meeting.

"Why don't we stop for today?" Hinata suggested. "I'll go make some tea. Neji-niisan, you sit here and keep your head tilted back, okay?"

"Ah," Neji grunted, though he followed her movement to the kitchen with his eyes. Hinata had never spoken to him like that before. It was sort of…motherly. Well, he normally wasn't ever in a position to be _mothered_ by anyone—not even his own mother.

Hinata returned with a tea tray and several little cakes. She placed them on the floor between them and picked up her cup.

"Neji-niisan," she began hesitantly. Her hands twisted the cup around and around. "Is there…something bothering you? It seemed like your mind was elsewhere today."

Neji thought about her question. To tell the truth, he'd been _quite_ bothered over the last week…ever since he'd seen Hinata-sama disappear into Kakashi's apartment, to be precise. He had paced back and forth outside of the apartment until finally he could resist no longer. Neji, who prided himself on his rigid self-control, had given in to the temptation to peak for _just a second_. He'd seen their two figures standing right next to each other, hands reaching out to clasp the other's before a covered wagon had driven right in front of him and startled his concentration. After that, he'd stood uncertainly in front of the door, wondering if he should look again, or even barge in and drag his innocent little cousin to the safety of the Hyuuga compound before the older, and no doubt _experienced_, Kakashi did anything truly inappropriate. Again, he told himself he would just look really quickly. By that time they were heading to the door and Neji had to hurry out of sight. Still, the implication of Hinata-sama's parting words to Kakashi still rang in his mind.

"Hinata-sama…"

"Hm?" Hinata frowned at him, concern etched on her delicate face.

"I…" Neji looked around quickly with his Byakugan to make sure they would not be overheard. "I…I know about you and Kakashi-sensei," he admitted in a low tone.

"Oh!" Hinata blinked. Then her cheeks turned a little pink, but she smiled. "And?"

Neji did a double-take. To be honest, he had expected a lot of red-faced stuttering and denial, perhaps even desperate pleading. He had expected Hinata-sama to wring her hands and beg, "Neji-niisan, please don't tell anyone! This is the only thing I'll ever ask of you. Please, please, please! F-father will be so angry." And then he would be torn between his duty to the Hyuuga head and his duty to the Hyuuga heir, the cousin who's friend-, companionsh-, _family relationship_ he was starting to appreciate little by little.

"I…am just…concerned."

"It's very sweet of you to be concerned about me, Neji-niisan," Hinata blushed happily, "but there's no need for you to worry."

"He…that person…is he…good to you?" Neji inquired haltingly.

"Oh, yes," Hinata nodded emphatically. "He's done _so_ much for me and he's _taught_ me so much, too."

Neji blanched. What could that Icha Icha addict be teaching his sweet little cousin?

"It was really kind of him to take an interest in me," Hinata continued seriously as she studied her hands in her lap. "I mean, I'm not…there are so many others that he might have…no one's ever really…"

Neji felt a sinking in his stomach. To be honest, he was afraid to hear more, so he waited for her to finish on her own.

"He's been so _kind_ and so _supportive_…" Hinata trailed off, lost in her own thoughts.

Neji gulped uncomfortable. He'd always known his cousin was vulnerable, but he'd never given thought to this kind of danger before. A danger of the heart. Was that Kakashi using his cousin? His fist clenched angrily. If so, that man would pay dearly. It was completely inappropriate for a jonin instructor to be encouraging…_relations_…with a young female shinobi.

"Maybe I should do something nice for him," Hinata continued thoughtfully. "Something to let him know how much I appreciate everything he's done…"

"I'm sure that's not necessary," Neji answered, slightly panicked, fearful of what her words implied. "You mustn't put yourself in a compromising position!"

Hinata frowned as she considered his words. Suddenly, a light seemed to go off in her brain.

"Oh! I never thought of that. Oh, you're right! How could I be so inconsiderate? I'll have to make sure I don't hurt anyone's feelings." _Surely Kurenai-sensei will feel hurt if she finds out I've been training with Kakashi-sensei all this time. But then again, the jonins of Konoha are very impressive. Surely, Kurenai-sensei already knows. In fact, that was probably why she went on that long mission with Kiba and Shino but left me behind. It was probably so that I'd have more time to continue my training_, Hinata reassured herself.

While Hinata continued her inner monologue, Neji frowned at her worriedly. He was taken aback when she suddenly switched modes and said, "Maybe I'll bake him a batch of cookies when he gets back." Hinata seemed quite pleased with her plan.

Neji sighed in relief. If the relationship was still at the phase of cookie baking, then surely he had time to gather more information before deciding whether or not to go to the Hokage with a formal complaint. In the meantime, however…

"Hinata-sama."

"Hm?" Hinata was shaken out of her thoughts. "What is it, Neji-niisan?"

"If your father found out…"

"F-father?"

"Yes," Neji nodded seriously. "Perhaps we should…tell him."

Hinata shook her head. "I wouldn't want to trouble him over such an insignificant matter."

"Hinata-sama, you are his _daughter_. You are the _heir_ of the Hyuuga clan."

Hinata gave him a side-long glance.

Neji squirmed uncomfortably. _What does that look mean?_

Again, Hinata shook her head. "I doubt he'd be at all interested," she admitted quietly.

Neji felt an uncharacteristic twisting in his chest at the sight of Hinata's sad, calmly resigned face and the sound of her wistful sigh.

"Hinata-sama…"

"I'm sure he wouldn't be interested," Hinata shook her head more certainly.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If you recognize anything or anyone from the anime, I'm just borrowing. If you don't recognize it, then it's mine because I made it up. Set during the time-skip/pre-Shippuuden. **

**Reviews Creative Energy**

**Additional Disclaimer: The following arc is very loosely inspired by the movie, Miss Congeniality. I didn't take the plot, just the Beauty Pageant undercover part. I still don't own Naruto or anything you recognize from that anime. **

**What may as well be called the Miss Congeniality Arc:**

OOOOO

Chapter 4

OOOOO

"You want a kunoichi, preferably less than 18 years old?" Tsunade asked incredulously. Then her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "_Why?_"

The two guests in her office trembled under that penetrating stare. Even Shizune and her pet, Tonton, were eyeing the fancy couple strangely

"You see," the elegantly dressed woman began, "the Land of Islands hosts a special pageant every year. Girls, ages ranging from 15 through 20, come from all over to compete. They are tested and ranked according to a combination of factors, including talent, spirit, mind, and beauty."

"This is for a beauty pageant?" Tsunade grunted evenly.

"Er…yes," the man nodded sheepishly.

"Beauty pageants are a noble tradition," the woman answered hotly.

"I'm sure," Tsunade snorted back.

Shizune jumped up before Tsunade could manage to further alienate the client. After all, they'd recently been caught up to by a string of Tsunade's past creditors.

"What seems to be the problem? Surely you have enough competitors."

The woman waved an imperious hand. "Of course. That's never been an issue. The pageant is highly competitive. Every girl wants to win the title of Miss Beautiful."

"Miss Beautiful." Tsunade's left eye twitched.

"Unfortunately, we had a number of difficulties last year arising from the competition between some of the girls. We have every reason to suspect that similar difficulties will arise, so we would like to hire a female shinobi to pose as one of the participants and keep an eye on the girls from within the competition."

"I…see."

"The Land of Islands doesn't have a shinobi village. For this reason, we have come to you, Hokage-sama," explained the polite man. His name was Mr. Mizuruki Shimaki. He and his cousin, Megumi Shimaki, had inherited the position of organizers of the pageant from their grandmother.

"Have you tried any of the other villages?" Tsunade inquired evenly.

"Uh, well," Mr. Shimaki cleared his throat and sheepishly ruffled his sandy brown hair. "We did try Sunagakure. But, um, Miss Temari flat out denied the request." (Tsunade couldn't hide her snort. _I'll bet she did_, she smirked.) "And, well, there aren't that many shinobi villages with many young female shinobi," he finished.

"So what you're saying is that we are your last resort."

"Um…yes." Mr. Shimaki bowed low. "But we would really appreciate it! And we have money to pay for the mission! We have a lot of sponsors that contribute to the program in order to receive advertisement during the events."

"I see." _At least there'll be something good to come of this._

Tsunade sighed and took out her cards. _Ino would be a good candidate for this mission. Rats! I sent her and…DOUBLE RATS! _Tsunade had just sent Sakura, Ino, and Tenten on a long mission to the Land of Udon. It was rare that the kunoichi got to go on a mission with one another, and she'd wanted them to get a chance to know each other, specifically to give Sakura and Ino a chance to get to know Tenten. The only other kunoichi of the right age was…Hyuuga Hinata.

"When did you say the pageant was?" Tsunade sweatdropped. _Please say a month from now!_

"Next week. We'll need to train the girl immediately," Megumi informed earnestly.

"Well…I have one possibility, but…never mind. You should probably look somewhere else."

"No! Please reconsider, Hokage-sama!" Mizuruki pleaded. "Konohagakure is known for its superb kunoichi. You said you had a possible candidate? We would be happy to up the request to a B-rank mission, even though any possible dangers won't be above a C-level at best. It's just very important that we have someone on the inside to make sure that there is no sabotage within the competition. One candidate actual-"

"Mizuruki!" Megumi exclaimed.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "_What?_"

"Megumi, we must tell her. She is the Hokage, after all."

"Tell me _what_?"

"You see, last year, one of the candidates was so competitive that she actually," his voice dropped, and he sighed unhappily, "_poisoned_ the favorite of the competition."

"_Poisoned_?" Tsunade and Shizune gasped.

"Yes," Mizuruki nodded gravely.

"How? What…?"

"She tampered with the lunches and put expired mayonnaise in the girl's sandwich," he explained in a hush-hush voice.

"Expired mayonnaise," Tsunade repeated. Her left eye was twitching again.

"Who is the girl you were thinking of?" Mizuruki pleaded.

"Hinata."

"Hinata?" Shizune furrowed her brow in thought. She looked up uncertainly and edged over to whisper in Tsunade's ear. "Are you sure about that? I mean, she's a good shinobi, but…she's so very _shy_. Would she be alright in front of large crowds and under the close scrutiny of judges? Plus, this seems almost more of a diplomacy mission. She'll have to get the other girls to trust her, and she doesn't really open up to many people."

"Oh…" Megumi and Mizuruki looked downcast all of a sudden.

"What?" Tsunade wondered blankly.

"She's ugly, isn't she?"

Tsunade almost fell off her chair. "No!"

"Then what is the problem?"

"She's…just very…quiet."

"Quiet? Well that might be good. We don't want her to stand out too much," Mizuruki reasoned.

"Are there any other girls?" Megumi asked hopefully.

"No," Tsunade sighed, "they're already taken up by other missions. Can't it be an older girl? Shizune, you could disguise yourself and…"

"No, it really must be a shinobi between the ages of 15 and 20. Those are the rules of the competition, you see," explained Megumi. "We can't make an exception because that would go against the spirit of the competition. We can't break the rule to enforce the rules."

"I see." That left eye was twitching again.

"Would you please allow us to meet with the girl?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. Shizune, will you fetch Hinata here?"

Shizune nodded and trotted out the door.

OOOOO

Hinata rubbed her nose to recover from the sneeze that had rocked her slight frame. She eyed the roast in front of her. Lately she hadn't had any interesting missions. She still trained hard and gave 110 percent to her D-rank missions, but she'd begun to wonder if she'd done something wrong.

Razor-sharp blades of chakra formed from her palms. Hinata's arms disappeared in a whirl of motion, all of her concentration on the hunk of meat in front of her. When she slowed to a graceful stop, the roast was in perfect, thin slices. Hinata looked out the kitchen window and found Shizune's and Tonton's wide eyes staring back at her.

A light blush crept over her cheeks, but she smiled and gave them a friendly little wave.

"Hinata, I need to speak with you."

"Oh! I'll be right there." Hinata hurried to open the back door that led to the kitchen. "Is something the matter, Shizune-san?"

"Tsunade-sama would like to speak with you about a potential mission."

"Oh!" Hinata exclaimed excitedly. "Of course! Do I have time to set out dinner and leave a note?"

"Yes, yes," Shizune nodded.

"Would you like anything, Shizune-san?" Hinata offered graciously.

"No, no. We're fine," Shizune assured her, though Tonton scowled up at her.

Hinata sped through the kitchen in a whirlwind of activity. She laid the dinner out and left a note that her family should start eating without her. She even managed to slip Tonton a few vegetable scraps. Minutes later she was ready to go.

The two quickly made their way to Tsunade's office. Hinata's heart bumped excitedly against her chest. Her last big mission had been over five weeks ago. That was a long time to go without a mission, and she knew her father was disappointed by her lack of impressive assignments. Neji was called away so often that they hardly saw him for more than a day or two at a time. Now that he'd made jonin, all of his missions were usually B-rank or higher.

Hinata gave a shy smile and a little bow to Tsunade and the two guests when she entered the room.

Tsunade made the necessary introductions and explained the situation as Mizuruki and Megumi studied Hinata, walking around her with hands on their chins and looking at her from different angles.

The color of Hinata's face slowly built up to beet red as the situation was explained.

"A-A-A b-beauty pageant?" she stuttered unsurely.

Tsunade nodded.

"D-Do I h-have to c-c-compete? Couldn't I j-just w-watch from the side like a regular guard?"

"The girls spend all of their time together. A guard would stand out too much and be too suspicious. And they wouldn't have access to all of the places and events. That's why we need someone to keep an eye out on the competition from the inside."

"S-S-So I actually have to p-p-participate?"

"Yes," Megumi nodded.

"In e-everything?"

"Yes."

The steam was practically rolling out of Hinata's ears by now.

"Hinata, you can refuse if you want to, though they are very desperate and there's no one else," Tsunade informed her matter-of-factly.

Shizune sent her a dirty look. She felt Tsunade could have been _much_ more diplomatic than that.

Wild thoughts raced through Hinata's mind. _They're giving me a way out because they think I might not be able to do it. That's why I haven't been sent on any important missions lately. They don't think I'm strong enough._ _Naruto-kun would never stand for that. He would show everyone how brave and capable he is. _I_ must do the same._

Hinata took a deep breath and seemed to find her inner resolve, though her cheeks were still on fire.

"If there is truly no one else, then I will take the mission and I will do my best," she stated decisively and without a trace of her usual stutter.

Megumi's eyebrows lifted in surprise. _Hm._ She'd almost despaired, but it seemed there might be something to work with after all. She nodded at Mizuruki, who nodded in return.

"Very well, go home and pack. You'll be leaving them first thing tomorrow morning."

"Hai! Ano, is there anything special I should pack?"

Megumi shook her head. "Nothing in particular. We will provide you with clothes and things like that."

"Wait!" Shizune called to Hinata's back.

"Yes, Shizune-sensei?"

"Come with me for a few minutes so I can help you with your disguise."

"Disguise?"

"Your eyes stand out too much, Hinata. But don't worry, I know a few tricks. Come on."

The two disappeared down the hallway.

Megumi frowned. "Will that girl really be alright?"

"Ah, come on, Megumi. I think she's cute," Mizuruki put in. "And she looked so determined at the end. I'm sure she'll make a fine protector for the girls."

Megumi sighed. "I hope so."

OOOOO

Hinata walked slowly, double-checking her list of things to pack.

"Making a new recipe?" asked a familiar voice.

Hinata's face snapped up to meet Chouji's cheerful grin.

"Not this time, Chouji-kun. I'm just figuring out what to bring on my mission."

"A mission? Where are you heading?"

"The Land of Islands," Hinata explained.

"Oh! I've always wanted to go there. I hear it's really beautiful. You must be really excited."

Hinata grinned. She was looking forward to the change in scenery.

"Are Shino and Kiba going with you?"

Hinata shook her head. "It's just me. I'll probably be gone for a couple of weeks."

"A couple of weeks? That's a long time to be gone on a solo mission. I'm sure you'll do great, though."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Chouji-kun." Hinata's grin widened to form a relaxed smile.

"Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will. You do the same, Chouji-kun!" Hinata called as she ran home.

OOOOO

"A mission? That is good," Hiashi nodded.

Hanabi ate her food quietly and then excused herself to go study. The youngest Hyuuga was pushing herself hard at the Academy because she had quite a reputation to uphold. She looked especially exhausted today. Hanabi wished her sister a safe journey before turning in for the night.

As Hinata packed her things that night she was both relieved and disappointed for various reasons: relieved that she had a mission, disappointed that her father had taken no interest in the specifics of her mission, and again relieved that she didn't have to explain that her first real mission in a month and a half was to enter a beauty pageant.

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**Author's Notes:**

**1) Poisoned mayonnaise at a beauty pageant may have been inspired by a movie with Denise Richards. It wasn't great cinema, and I don't remember the title. Just a vague memory of food poisoning at a beauty pageant. Covering my bases.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If you recognize anything or anyone from the anime, I'm just borrowing. If you don't recognize it, then it's mine because I made it up. Set during the time-skip/pre-Shippuuden. **

**Reviews Creative Energy**

OOOOO

Chapter 5

OOOOO

The Land of Islands was southeast from Fire Country, below what was typically thought of as the Land of Water. It was pretty peaceful compared to the rest of the nations since it didn't even have a shinobi village and was so removed from everywhere else.

"Hinata," Megumi began as the carriage rattled along. Mizuruki was sitting up with the driver. "I am going to be training you on the way, so listen carefully."

"Hai!"

"First of all, there are 3 main events that will be repeated twice: the talent show, the interview, and the swimsuit competition."

Hinata's ears were steaming with embarrassment.

"Now," Megumi continued, "you will be judged on beauty, talent, and poise. We will help you dress and make yourself up once we arrive. What we need to work on right now are confidence and poise. Whether you are speaking, walking, or just standing and waving, you need to hold yourself in a graceful and sophisticated manner at all times."

Megumi turned to find Hinata hunched in on herself like a crab, shoulders almost to her ears. The older woman grimaced slightly.

"First off," Megumi decreed imperiously. "Posture. Shoulders back! Stomach in! Spine straight! Head up!" She watched Hinata look imploringly up at the sky. Megumi sighed and pushed Hinata's head down until her eyes were looking forward. "Make that _chin_ up. Pretend there is an invisible wire of strength that connects to your spine through the top of your head."

From now on, you are Haruna Hinata, the contestant from Fire Country. You are always confident. Now, Hinata, describe your ideal love partner."

"L-L-L-Love p-p-pa-partner!"

"Hinata…we really must do something about that stutter. It's not always there, is it? You're a shinobi, aren't you? Shinobi are supposed to be courageous and undaunted by anything."

Hinata's shoulders sunk miserably.

Megumi frowned and sighed. She wasn't _trying_ to hurt the girl.

"Look, Hinata, it doesn't really matter if you're nervous or not. All you have to do is pretend. It's all about presentation. Acting, really. As long as you _act_ confident, then you will start to _be_ confident. If people think you are confident, then they will treat you with respect accordingly. Understand?"

Hinata nodded slowly.

"Good. Now, show me confident!"

Hinata took a deep breath before looking up and meeting her new teacher squarely in the eyes.

OOOOO

"Hinata, open your mouth."

Hinata obeyed automatically, but nearly choked when Megumi shoved a handful of marbles in her mouth. "Mnmmpph !"

"The key to elocution is control. You mustn't rush your words or they will come out in a jumbled tumble. Now, repeat after me: Every evening Emika entertains elegantly."

"Envrrry ennnin Emmmmmka ennntrheck elganlu."

"Again!"

OOOOO

Megumi balanced a book on Hinata's head as soon as the ship set sail the next morning.

"From now until we get to the Land of Islands, you are going to keep this book balanced on your head, got that?"

"Hai," Hinata answered, teetering gingerly as she adjusted to the strange weight. She managed to walk from one end of the ship to the other, but when she started back and realized the entire crew was watching her with their bemused expressions, her cheeks burned red, her shoulders hunched, and the book fell to the floor with a loud "plop."

"Again, Hinata. Remember: _confidence_."

Hinata nodded and replaced the book. It took all of her self-control not to simply use chakra to stick it to her head. After Hinata managed five laps around the deck, Megumi let her stop for lunch, though she made her keep the book in place.

"Hinata, what are you going to do for your talent?" Mizuruki wondered curiously.

"Um…ano…I…I don't have any talent."

"Everyone has a talent, or at least everyone can fake one," Megumi shook her head. "Come now. Can you sing?"

Hinata shook her head.

"Can you play an instrument?" Mizuruki asked.

Another head shake from the Hyuuga heiress.

"Arrange flowers? Dance? You're a shinobi. Of course you can perform a dance. Shinobi have to be able to move fluidly."

Hinata paused. Technically, her training was like dancing. Unfortunately, if people saw her dancing on water, that would be a dead giveaway that she was not a normal girl. She shrugged. "But I don't _know_ any dances."

Megumi sighed with relief. "That's alright. I'll teach you. Come with me."

Twenty minutes later, Hinata stood in the middle of the deck in a costume Megumi had rigged up from her own wardrobe.

"M-M-Megumi-san! I-I-I c-c-can't w-w-wear something like this!"

"Hm? Why not?" Megumi tilted her head. "You look fine, except you need to fix your POSTURE."

Hinata snapped to attention like a frightened cadet. She was wearing some sort of beaded costume that resembled a bathing suit. The bikini-style top had hundreds of short strands of beads along every edge, as did the small triangular shawl that Megumi had tied around her waist.

The entire crew had been ordered not to watch, though every now and then one of the crew members would sneak a peak.

"Stomach in, hips forward. Now, rotate your hips to the left, to the right, left, right, front, right, back, left, front. Around, around. Stop, reverse directions, around, around. Hit those points! Stop. No, no, no. Hinata, you have to _loosen up_, you look like a marionette."

Megumi seized Hinata's hips with her hands and moved them forcefully in the correct direction. "Loosen! Let go. You're still too stiff. Try it again."

"M-Maybe I just can't move like that, Megumi-san."

"Nonsense. You just need a bit of courage. Imagine a boy you admire. Pretend he's in front of you."

A picture of Naruto popped into Hinata's head, and her face turned fire-engine red. For some reason he wasn't alone. Shino-kun, Kiba-kun, Neji-niisan, Chouji-kun, all of the Konoha 11 stood behind Naruto watching her, even the girls. They all looked as if she'd grown another head and a few more arms.

"Okay, scratch that idea," Megumi said quickly. Hinata had stopped moving completely and looked as thought she might hyperventilate any moment. "Pretend you're in a peaceful place and absolutely no one is watching you. There's _nothing to be afraid of_."

For some reason Hinata's mind moved to her favorite training spot. She pictured the moonlight streaming onto the water, and even Kakashi-sensei calmly reading his book as she practiced. There would be no judgment, nothing to fear.

She took a deep breath and began the exercise again.

Two hours later, Megumi nodded. "You're making excellent progress, Hinata. Your naturally flexibility has made everything a lot easier. Remember to isolate your ribcage. Take a break and we'll continue in half an hour."

Hinata wandered over to the rail of the ship and gazed into the clear, blue water. It was really beautiful out here. Growing up inland, she hadn't had many opportunities to see the ocean. It was magnificent.

_That's right_, Hinata mused. _Mother grew up near the ocean. One day, perhaps Hanabi and I can go and see the village where Mother grew up._

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	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If you recognize anything or anyone from the anime, I'm just borrowing. If you don't recognize it, then it's mine because I made it up. Set during the time-skip/pre-Shippuuden. **

**Reviews Creative Energy**

OOOOO

Chapter 6

OOOOO

When Hinata stepped into the enormous waiting chamber, she felt incredibly intimidated by the large number of beautiful, confident girls walking around and chatting in small groups. They all held glasses of some sparking substance, occasionally taking delicate and elegant sips. Their hair, skin, and eye color varied across the spectrum. Everyone looked so…cool.

There was one girl standing off to the side, leaning against the sill of an open window as she gazed out at the boats in the harbor. Her sun-bleached blond hair fell in deep waves around her shoulders. As Hinata stared, the girl turned and met her eyes.

Hinata couldn't help the blush that tinted her cheeks, or the little involuntary protective shrug.

The girl smiled widely and motioned for Hinata to come and talk to her. Hinata took a hesitant step, and then another.

"Hi! Are you a contestant?"

Hinata nodded shyly, not sure if she could pull off the results of the marble training just yet.

"My name is Kairu. What's yours?"

"I'm Hinata," Hinata said in a small voice with a tiny smile, though she managed not to stutter.

"What do you think?" Kairu asked, making a sweeping motion with her hand.

"About what?" Hinata looked confused.

Kairu grinned. "About the Dolphin Islands. My family has been here for ages, so this is all we know, but I'm always curious to get an outsider's opinion because I've never been away from home."

"Oh! I think it's the most beautiful place I've ever seen!" Hinata gushed excitedly. Then she blushed and seemed to remember herself. "I love being near the ocean."

"Good! Then you're the right kind of friend for me," Kairu grinned.

Hinata blushed again, but smiled happily. Something about that infectious grin reminded her of Naruto-kun.

"Good evening, ladies," Megumi announced from the front of the room. "I am here to officially welcome you to our…"

OOOOO

As Hinata unpacked the bags that Megumi had hastily thrust into her possession, Kairu poked her head into their shared room. "Hinata, some of the girls are going down to the beach. Do you want to come with us?"

_Participating would definitely help with my mission_, Hinata thought to herself. "Sure, I'll be right there." She cast one last look at the unusual clothes Megumi had provided her and decided not to think about it until later. The older woman had benevolently bestowed them on her, saying that she could keep them, too. Hmm. She couldn't really imagine trying to accomplish a mission in some of those outfits. She'd just feel too self-conscious.

When Kairu had said "some of the girls," she really meant "all of the girls." There were twenty contestants in all, and all were currently wearing their swimsuits. A few were busy languishing on beach chairs, trying to outdo the others at looking sexy. Kairu ran off to find a beach ball. From the shade and seclusion of the bungalow, Hinata activated her Byakugan and scanned the figures of the girls. _Interesting, that one girl with the curly brown hair has an active chakra signature. She doesn't look very powerful, but I should keep an eye on her._ Aside from that, Hinata didn't see anything unusual, except for the people in the distance. If Hinata hadn't known better, she would have sworn that one on the roof with the binoculars looked like Jiraiya-sama.

Hinata blushed and wished she had a wrap of some sort—or a sheet. Kairu pulled her onto the sand and introduced herself and Hinata to everyone. Hinata followed behind Kairu like a shy little shadow.

"Kairu-chan?" the girl with brown curls asked.

"Yep."

"I'm Hoseki. And Hinata-chan, was it?"

Hinata nodded. The girl seemed nice enough. It's not like it was against the rules for kunoichi to participate in the beauty pageant.

"You're the local candidate right, Kairu-chan? Your sister was crowned Miss Beautiful a few years ago?"

"Yeah," Kairu shrugged with a grin. "I don't really care about winning, but mom really wanted me to enter, so here I am!"

Hinata smiled. A few other girls invited them to play volleyball. Having grown up shy and friendless, Hinata had never really played any games as a child. It wasn't until Kiba and Akamaru that she first learned to play with a ball with others. The others seemed really patient and welcoming and helped her learn the rules quickly. Being a shinobi with excellent balance, Hinata did fine, though she had to remember to hold back on the spikes.

"Let's go swimming!" Kairu exclaimed.

"No thanks. I'm not much for swimming," Hoseki shrugged apologetically.

"Aw," Kairu pouted. She turned around with big puppy eyes. "Hinata?"

"Sure, Kairu-san. I'd love to."

"Yay! But you have to call me Kairu or Kairu-chan. Got it?"

"Hai, Kairu-chan," Hinata smiled. Then she was quickly pulled into the refreshing water.

The two swam out. Kairu suddenly did a flip and pointed her legs into the air while the top half of her body disappeared into the water.

Hinata giggled uncontrollably and then gasped as a flash of fin broke the surface.

"Kairu-chan! Look out! There are sharks!"

Hinata was just about to jump onto the surface of the water using her chakra and drag Kairu-chan to shore when the girl resurfaced and quickly shook her head.

"Don't be scared, Hinata. They're just dolphins. These islands are famous for them," Kairu reassured her.

Hinata looked carefully. A dolphin surfaced right in front of her and chattered happily.

Hinta gasped again, but this time she grinned.

Kairu hooked a hand over the dolphin's fin and pulled herself close to it. She stroked its smooth side lovingly.

"Come on, Hinata. They're really friendly. This is Kin Iruka (Gold Dolphin) and this is Gin Iruka (Silver Dolphin)."

Hinata moved over and laid a hand on the nearest dolphin's cool, rubbery flesh. Its visible eye seemed to wink at her.

"Here," Kairu directed, positioning Hinata's hand. "Hold onto Gin Iruka like this. Don't let go of him."

"What? Wh-aah!" Hinata held on tight as the dolphin named Gin Iruka shot through the water. She was dimly aware that Kairu was following with another dolphin. The dolphins stopped near an outcropping of rocks far from shore.

"…!"

"Fun, isn't it?" Kairu grinned.

Hinata looked at her wide-eyed. Then a slow grin spread over her face and she nodded eagerly. That was the most exhilarating thing she'd ever experienced in her life.

When the girls were through playing, they drifted in groups toward the outdoor bath house. The older girls had sort of split up into two factions. A blond and a brunette lounged around eyeing each other disdainfully, while the other girls gravitated toward one or the other. Miyako and Mieko were actually distant cousins, and long-term rivals. Funnily enough, the older girls were perfectly cordial toward the younger girls. It was as though those two didn't see anyone else as a threat. They reminded Hinata of Sakura and Ino in one of their moments.

Kairu, Hoseki, Hinata, and a plump, cheerful girl from the Land of Udon named Koeru sat off to the side watching the verbal stings being tossed across the water. Eventually they just ignored them.

"So, Hinata," Kairu inquired with a sly smile. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Hinata's face burned so hot the other girls thought she might explode. She shook her head.

"No need to be so embarrassed," Hoseki laughed. Then she turned to Kairu casually. "Hey, Kairu, your sister just got married right? It was all over the recent Miss Beautiful magazine."

"Yep. She and Takasamaru-san just had twins. I'm going to go and visit them in Earth Country after this pageant is over."

"Hmm. I bet that'll be fun," Hoseki commented.

Hinata glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. _Hoseki-san seemed a little strange just there. Oh well. It's probably just my imagination._

OOOOO

During the 1st round swimsuit competition and photo shoot, Hinata somehow managed to stand directly behind the taller Kairu at all times. Of course, she'd had her obligatory fifteen seconds of fame in front of the whole audience and panel of judges. Luckily, her natural shyness and timidity, together with Megumi's training, managed to come off as playful bashfulness and the audience loved it.

The girls filed through the courtyard on their way to the open-aired lunch area where a large, lavish buffet was spread along one wall. Hinata made herself a plate of good-looking foods. She was especially happy about a mini cinnamon roll she'd managed to find.

Suddenly, Hinata felt an incredible Intent to Kill. She whirled around instinctively, though she kept her eyes masked with their fake color. Sixteen pairs of eyes were focused on her. They were glaring at the yummy foods she'd piled onto her plate. For the most part, the majority of the girls had plates of celery and carrot sticks. Hinata sweat-dropped uncomfortably. Koeru came by a second later and drew the attention of the other girls her way. She had _two_ plates of food. That was the Land of Udon for you.

After lunch was the 1st round talent show. Hinata watched as Koeru did a demonstration of dumpling-making. Kairu did an impressive looking water ballet. Hoseki managed to sing passably.

Then it was Hinata's turn. She followed Megumi-san's last-minute advice and pretended she was in her happy place, her training spot on Konoha's lake, as she stepped onto the stage. The drumbeats led her feet and soon she was oblivious to everything but the warm afternoon sun and the sound that guided her hips. She even remembered to smile a couple of times.

The audience clapped wildly for her and Hinata's cheeks turned beet red, which fueled their applause even more. She bowed quickly and barely managed not to run off the stage.

The two warring older girls, Miyako and Mieko, sang the same song and looked as though they wanted to kill each other through the rest of the event. _I should keep an eye on those two_, Hinata thought to herself. _At this rate, there's bound to be an incident._

The girls stood in their positions as they practiced their group dance for the final rounds that evening. Miyako and Mieko kept trying to elbow each other off the stage. Mieko's eyes lit with angry little fires and she tried to shove Miyako right over the edge. Unfortunately, Koeru got in the way and was about to land face first on the oblivious band down below. Hinata, moving so fast that none of the other dancers saw her, snatched Koeru's arm and whirled the two of them back into the dance as if nothing had happened. Koeru, unsure of how she'd gone from falling to twirling, shrugged her confusion away and continued dancing.

A wide-eyed Mizuruki-san gave Hinata a not-so-stealthy thumbs-up from the corner of the room.

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**Author's Notes:**

**1) In case you were still wondering, Hinata is doing a sort of belly dance.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If you recognize anything or anyone from the anime, I'm just borrowing. If you don't recognize it, then it's mine because I made it up. Set during the time-skip/pre-Shippuuden. **

**Reviews Creative Energy**

OOOOO

Chapter 7

OOOOO

That evening, Hinata and her new friends lay chatting until late at night, comfortably sprawled over their beds. When she was sure they were all asleep, Hinata stepped onto the balcony and scanned the other bungalows. She made a particular note that Miyako and Mieko were both laying down quietly before leaping down onto the sand and walking under the moonlight.

Though she had been away from home for less than a week, it felt like a month. So many strange and new things had happened to her. Hinata wondered how her comrades in Konoha were doing, if Hanabi was practicing the footwork they had worked on during their last training session, if Kakashi-sensei had returned from his mission, if Kiba and Shino missed having her with them.

The moonlight illuminated the stretch of golden-white sand and the gentle, foamy waves that lapped against the shore. Hinata gazed out at the peaceful water and sighed wistfully. It was the kind of perfect night and scene that would be wonderful to share with someone special. She glanced up at the brilliant moon and smiled with a little blush. It reminded her of Naruto-kun's wide grin. A sparkle in the water caught her wandering eye. Was it a dolphin? Hinata activated her Byakugan.

It wasn't a dolphin. It was a boat! Hinata unconsciously walked closer to the water's edge. It looked like a woman, and she seemed to be having difficulties with the oars. It was late enough that the tide was coming in. A large wave rocked the boat forward and the woman panicked as she lost one of the oars.

Hinata ran toward her.

"Are you all right?" Hinata exclaimed.

The woman looked up fearfully. Hinata could make out three life forms in the boat: the one woman and two smaller ones. As Hinata quickly closed the gap, the woman's desperate sob was audible even from that distance.

"Miss! Are you hurt?" Hinata sprinted to the boat, hoping that no one was watching her from the bungalow. Running on water is a difficult thing to explain.

"Wh-Who are you?" the woman asked fearfully, clutching a large basket to her chest.

"I'm Hinata. I'm one of the contestants…You _are_ hurt!"

Even in the dark, Hinata's Byakugan registered the woman's bruises and her twisted ankle. Hinata fetched the lost oar and quickly climbed into the boat.

The woman watched her carefully as Hinata rowed them to shore. Two small cries sounded from the basket and the woman quickly bent to comfort them.

"What happened?" Hinata asked between swift strokes.

"I…_Please_. I need to find Megumi-san. She will surely help me," the woman sobbed.

Hinata nodded. The woman was in no condition for explanations at the moment.

Kairu crept out of the room and looked around. Where could Hinata have gotten to?

"Hinata?" she called softly. "Hinata!" She wandered down the beach while keeping an eye out for a lone figure in the sand. A few minutes later she could discern a shape in the distance. Kairu sighed in relief and jogged lightly. It seemed to be larger than Hinata, though. Kairu frowned. It looked like there was some sort of struggle going on. Kairu sprinted forward. If anyone was attacking her friend, there would be hell to pay!

"Hinata!"

The woman's head snapped up and she tried to leap to her feet, but Hinata held her down.

"I need to finish healing your ankle before we go any farther!"

"Kairu…Kairu-chan!"

Kairu skidded to a halt. "Kaoru-neesan! What are you doing here?"

The babies began crying again.

Hinata stood and helped Kaoru to her feet.

The woman leaned heavily on Hinata, but then looked down in surprise. "My ankle…You really _did_ heal it!"

"Kairu-chan, we need to get her to Megumi-san."

Although Kairu was bursting with worry, she nodded and took her nephews in her arms as the three women made their way toward the bungalow where Megumi slept.

OOOOO

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune burst into the Hokage's office. Tsunade jerked up violently, a memo plastered to her cheek. She'd fallen asleep face-down on her desk again.

"Wha-? Whasit?" she slurred. The Fourth Hokage shook her head to clear it. "What?"

"There's been a secret coup in Earth Country!"

"_What?!_"

OOOOO

Shikamaru yawned loudly. This was the worst. It was one thing to get sent on difficult missions. It went beyond troublesome to be woken up _in the middle of the night_ to get sent on difficult missions. His father, Shikaku, yawned beside him. On his other side stood Chouii with _his_ father, Chouza. The two were munching on their midnight snacks. Ino's father, Yamamanka Inoichi was leaning against a wall. Shino stood so still that Shikamaru briefly wondered if he was sleeping on his feet. No one would be able to tell with those sunglasses.

Kiba wandered in sleepily a few minutes later. He was almost through the door when Lee and Gai-sensei blew past him in a rush of youthful glory, only slightly diminished by the matching green kitty nightcaps on their heads. _Disturbing_. Shikamaru decided never to think of it again. Neji stepped in after them, perfectly poised and stoic.

A few minutes later, Tsunade entered the room, followed by her assistant.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice."

Chouji tried to surreptitiously nudge his best friend, who had managed to fall asleep on his feet in that matter of minutes. Shikamaru grunted, but rubbed his eyes and looked up balefully at Tsunade's weary expression.

"The third daughter of the feudal lord of the Land of Islands recently married the son of the Land of Earth's feudal lord, his heir to be precise. It was a love match and the couple just had twin boys a number of months ago. A year ago, the feudal lord became ill. While this circumstance is lamentable, it is not why I have called you today.

The problem is that there have been some recent difficulties with the Land of Earth, a secret coup, to be exact. The reason you are standing in my office is because of a man named Jishin Nusumaru. He is the younger cousin of the feudal lord. Apparently, sometime in the last month he concocted a plan to dispose of Jishin Takasamaru-sama and his family in order to seize control of Earth country.

Takasamaru-sama arrived here an hour ago seeking aid. He and his wife were separated during their forced flight from Earth country. They made plans to meet at a certain place at a certain time. If he was unable to make it on time, she was to return to her homeland as soon as possible. While on the way to their rendezvous point, he was waylaid by a contingent of Earth soldiers and wasn't able to make it to the meeting point by the set time. He believed that Nusumaru would send a force after his wife. Takasamaru attempted to sneak back into Earth Country to speak with the Commander of the Military forces, Yarita-san, who is his close personal friend, but he was unable to get in undetected.

Those not in league with the usurper believe the false tale that Takasamaru-sama's wife drugged and nearly killed him before kidnapping the two babies and fleeing home to Island Country. The military higher ups, according to Takasamaru-sama's trustworthy personal informant, see this as a direct challenge by Island Country and are amassing a fleet to imprison the wife and collect the babies, who are the heirs to the kingdom.

The fleet left the northeast shores of Earth Country two days ago. It will probably take them another two days to reach Island Country. Island Country is a very peaceful place because it is so small and isolated. There is no military presence. If we do not stop them…"

I am sending you all to intercept the enemy force. You are to protect Takasamaru-sama and his family. Earth Country is one of the 5 Great Powers. If it falls into the hands of one such as Nusumaru, it can only have negative effects for all."

"When you say _fleet_," Shikamaru inquired carefully, "what exactly do you mean?"

"Hundreds of Earth Country soldiers have been sent. It is safe to assume that there are a fair number of shinobi as well. This is an extremely important diplomatic and military mission. That being said, you had better all come back alive, got it?"

There was a general round of, "Understood."

"Hokage-sama?" Chouji asked as the others turned to file out of the room. "What about Hinata?"

"Hinata?" Tsunade's brow furrowed in confusion. "What about her?"

"She's on a mission to Island Country, isn't she? I remember she left about a week ago."

Tsunade blanched imperceptibly. She had completely forgotten that connection.

"_Hinata-sama_ is in Island Country right now?" Neji demanded.

"Yeah," Chouji informed him. "How come you didn't know that? You're her cousin, aren't you?"

"I knew she left on a mission, but I did not hear the specific details."

"I doubt Hinata's mission will overlap with this one in any way," Tsunade explained. "If you do happen to run into her, inform her of what is going on and tell her to switch her priorities to this mission. This constitutes a national emergency for Island Country. But, like I said, it's very unlikely that you'll run into her."

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	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If you recognize anything or anyone from the anime, I'm just borrowing. If you don't recognize it, then it's mine because I made it up. Set during the time-skip/pre-Shippuuden. **

**Reviews Creative Energy**

OOOOO

Chapter 8

OOOOO

"Kaoru-neesan, are you feeling alright?" Kairu asked quietly.

Kaoru sat up on the bad. "Yes, Hinata-san's healing techniques took care of my injuries. Now…I'm just worried. I barely escaped the soldiers that were sent to kill me."

"Kill you?" Kairu gasped.

"Nusumaru intends to wipe out our family. He said he would spare my life if I would hand over the boys. As if a mother would _ever_ do such a thing! I ran and hid. I found my way to a little fishing village, and a kind family let me borrow their boat.

Megumi strode into the room. "Kaoru-chan, come with me. We need to have a meeting with the Dolphin Islands' police force to increase security around here."

"Kairu, will you stay with the boys?" Kaoru requested.

"Of course, neesan."

Hinata bowed quickly. "I'm going to do a quick check of the perimeter."

With a quick, silent tread, Hinata used her Byakugan to scan the ocean. There were no ships in sight. Then she paced through the little walkways, checking every corner.

Hinata heard the rustle of footsteps and disappeared in the shadows. Two young men crept down the wooden walkway. They looked around carefully, clearly wary of being caught.

Suddenly, Hinata heard the voices of Miyako and Mieko arguing noisily nearby. Whoever decided to put those two in a room together?

"What are you doing here, noisy-chan?"

"What are you doing here, nosy-chan?"

The young men shared a look and then ran to the open the door that hid the girls from sight.

Hinata leapt out of her hiding place with her Jyuuken at the ready.

Bap, bap, bap! Thump! Thud, thud!

Mieko and Miyako stopped their fighting to look at the door, then at each other, and then at the door again. They rushed to the door and pulled it wide. Both of their jaws fell to the ground. There stood quiet, shy little Hinata with their boyfriends in an inelegant pile at her feet.

"Hinata, what did you do to Ryu-kun?"

"Hinata, what did you do to Ryo-kun?"

"Huh?!"

A few moments of explanation later, a red-faced Hinata was bowing deeply and repeatedly. "I'm so sorry! I didn't r-realize they were your boyfriends! I th-thought they were intruders! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, Hinata, they'll be fine," Miyako. "We'll take care of them. You should head off to bed. It's pretty late."

"Sumimasen!" Hinata apologized once more before running back to Kairu, all the while scanning with the Byakugan.

Hinata paused outside of the open doorway to where Kairu was watching the boys. There were two people besides the babies in the room, and one of them had an active chakra signature. Hinata stepped silently up to the window frame to catch Kairu's voice drifting through the night air.

"…I don't understand. Why would Neesan want you to take the boys? Doesn't she want me to come with you?"

"I see it comes to this. Please forgive me."

"What?"

Kairu screamed as Hoseki, the girl she had come to think of as a friend, advanced toward her with an unlit torch in one hand. Hoseki brought the wooden torch down hard on top of Kairu's head. Kairu lifted her hands to shield her face…but the blunt wooden club never connected.

Hoseki's face twisted in confusion as a force acting on her wrist yanked her around by the forearm.

Hinata released her end of the chakra string before knocking the girl out with a single jyuuken stroke.

Kairu's face turned pale and her hands trembled as she moved to clutch the babes in their basket while footsteps pattered down the hall.

"Kairu!" Kaoru cried as she and Megumi raced into the room.

Hinata quietly searched the unconscious girl. She had no forehead protector on her, but she guessed that the girl was a low-level shinobi of the Village Hidden in Stone.

OOOOO

"I still can't believe she's a spy," Kairu whispered shakily.

Hoseki sat forlornly tied up in the corner of the room.

"Why?" Megumi demanded fiercely. "Why would you try to kill these children?"

Hoseki's face jerked up. "I would _never_ harm Niisan's children!"

"Niisan?" Hinata gasped.

"Niisan?" Kaoru repeated.

Hoseki clamped her mouth shut.

Kaoru narrowed her eyes. "Takasamaru has no siblings, as far as I know."

"Hoseki-san…please explain yourself," Hinata attempted.

"What's the use? You wouldn't believe me. You're one of her paid shinobi guards. I bet you're even in on the plot," Hoseki ground out. "I bet _you_ were one of the ones that hurt Takasamaru-Niisan."

Kaoru gasped.

"Actually, I'm general security for the pageant," Hinata explained carefully. "I had no idea Kairu-chan's sister would show up."

"You've heard from Takasamaru?" Kaoru asked desperately. "Hoseki-san, _please_! Please tell me what you know of him! _I beg you_!"

Now Hoseki looked confused. "But…you were the one who…"

"What's going on?" Megumi huffed.

"That woman," Hoseki began, indicating Kaoru, "drugged and almost killed Takasamaru-Niisan. Then she kidnapped the heirs and ran away. I was sent to bring Chikaru-kun and Chikamaru-kun home."

"Takasamaru was hurt," Kaoru's voice wobbled dangerously. "That's…that's why he didn't meet me at our arranged place."

"Arranged place?" Hoseki asked sharply.

Kaoru began her tale of Nusumaru's deceit. "It all happened so _fast_. I was on my way somewhere, to a play, I believe, when I was accosted by strange shinobi. They looked like Stone Shinobi, but their forehead protectors had slashes across them."

"The slash means they are renegades," Hinata nodded.

"I was brought to Nusumaru for the first time. He talked to me. He explained that he thought Takasamaru was to too weak to lead the country. He said he would spare my life if I turned over our sons to his care." (Hoseki gasped.) "I refused. He threatened to kill me. There was some confusion in the courtyard, something to do with the renegade shinobi and other shinobi. I managed to run back home. Takasamaru and I fled that day. We took just the boys. He went to send a message to Yarita-san, his childhood friend who is now a high-ranking military officer."

"He tried to send a message to Niisan?"

"Just how many niisan's do you have, girl," Megumi asked irritably.

"Hoseki-san, how are you related to Takasamaru-sama?" Hinata inquired.

Hoseki looked around, her confusion evident in her eyes. Chikaru and Chikamaru whined softly and Kaoru went immediately to comfort them. She took them in her arms and cooed gently. Hoseki seemed to make up her mind about something.

"My real name is Yarita Hoseki. Yarita Yarimaru is my older brother. I was trained as a shinobi when I was younger, but then my parents begged me to give it up. They couldn't bear to have both of their children in dangerous occupations. But Takasamaru-Niisan and Yarimaru-Niisan are best friends, so I grew up thinking of Takasamaru-Niisan as my Niisan as well."

"I see," Megumi nodded. "But then why did you think Kaoru-chan would ever hurt Takasamaru-sama?"

"I…We've never actually met before," Hoseki shrugged. "And…well…when I saw the condition that Takasamaru-Niisan was in...I suppose I was ready to believe the worst."

"Takasamaru…" Tears trailed down Kaoru's cheeks. "Is he…?"

"He was unconscious the last time I saw him. It's not certain if he will live…"

A high keening sound burst from Kaoru's throat.

"So this Nusumaru person has injured Takasamaru-sama?" Kairu wondered.

"It seems that way," Hinata nodded quietly.

"I can't believe I fell for his lies," Hoseki whispered quietly to herself.

"It's not too late," Hinata said decisively. "Nusumaru kept Takasamaru alive for a reason, so it's very possible that he's still alive now."

"But what can we do?"

OOOOO

Everyone was a bit preoccupied during the interviews, but it would be too suspicious if a bunch of the girls didn't show up, so they had to keep participating. An hour later, Hinata couldn't even remember what she'd said, though the preoccupation had meant she didn't stutter at all.

The girls slept in Kaoru's room that night to provide the upset woman with companionship, though Hinata was the only one who really slept. She had the feeling she was going to need the rest. Guards were posted all over the island and were put on red alert to keep an eye out for suspicious ships.

The next morning, Hinata and the other girls reluctantly dressed for that morning's swimsuit finals. Hinata added a small wrap that knotted over her left hip. It was tiny and for the most part see-through, but somehow it made her feel a little better.

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	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If you recognize anything or anyone from the anime, I'm just borrowing. If you don't recognize it, then it's mine because I made it up. Set during the time-skip/pre-Shippuuden. **

**Reviews Creative Energy**

OOOOO

Chapter 9

OOOOO

"The ocean looks so beautiful and calm," Chouji commented to his best friend.

"Yeah, though it would have been nice to have a few clouds," Shikamaru added.

"So, Shikamaru," Kiba barked, "got any ideas about how we're going to take out a fleet of ships with ten shinobi?"

"Eleven, counting Hinata," Chouji reminded.

"Eleven, if we get a hold of Hinata," Kiba added without missing a beat.

Shikamaru sighed. "It's troublesome, but I think we're going to have to go for a snatch and grab. Our first priority is to assure the safety of Takasamaru-sama's wife and kids. It'll be too risky if we go head to head with the enemy fleet. Plus, we haven't got any particular advantages on the ocean."

"Well, neither do they," Kiba argued. "They're _Stone_ shinobi."

"Not all of them," Takasamaru shook his head. "Most of them are regular Earth soldiers."

Shino studied the man carefully. "Takasamaru-sama, is something the matter?"

"Oh…it's just that Island Country is Kaoru's homeland. I…feel really bad. Rescuing my wife and children is my first priority, but…I don't want any innocent bystanders to get hurt."

The group of ninjas sat on the deck of the ship as Shikamaru began drawing on a large map, laying out various strategies with which to face their adversaries.

"…and if that happens, then Team 8, you go and-"

"We are nearly there," Neji announced. He activated his bloodline limit.

"Neji, what do your Byakugan eyes see?!" cried Lee.

Inoichi, Ino's father, took out his telescope and scanned the horizon.

Neji gripped the rail of the ship.

"The enemy ships are ahead of us," Inoichi announced. "We may not make it in time."

"What?!" Kiba shouted.

"They are coming from the north, and are technically closer to the island, but we have the wind at our backs, so we might still make it," Neji amended.

OOOOO

"Megumi-san!" shouted a running guard just as the swimsuit preliminaries were breaking up.

"What is it?"

"Ships!" he gasped, palms resting on his knees. "They just sent a message."

"What does it say?" Megumi frowned.

The guard handed over the scroll silently.

Megumi's eyes scanned the words. Her fist crushed the delicate paper and she stormed off.

OOOOO

"What?!" Kairu yelped.

"They want us to send out Kaoru-chan and the boys in a small boat. If not, they say they will land and kill anyone that gets in the way."

"You…Megumi-san, you wouldn't…" Kairu trailed off helplessly.

"Of course I wouldn't!" Megumi snapped. "I'll never let those low-life scumbags hurt Kaoru-chan or her children!"

"But…there's no way the Dolphin Islands can defend against such an attack," Kaoru concluded flatly.

"Neesan! What are you saying?" Kairu screeched.

"I…there is only one thing to do. I will go to them."

"No!" Kairu screamed. "Neesan, I won't let you!"

"Kairu…this is my choice. I choose to save the people of Island Country. It's the only way. I will bring blankets stuffed with straw and make them look like the boys. Then before the boats get too close, I will jump with the fake babies into the ocean."

"Neesan! You won't."

"Kairu, there's no other way!"

"There's always another way," Hinata spoke quietly, her eyes looking inward at some distant thought or memory. All eyes whipped around to land on her face. "As a shinobi, I know that people often die protecting their loved ones, especially in battle. But…I don't believe…that people should ever have to choose to throw their lives away. Such sacrifices…are wrong."

"M-maybe we could _fake_ your death!" Kairu suggested with a sudden hope in her eyes. "You could jump into the water and an Iruka-chan could carry you away _unseen_!"

"I…that might work," Kairu nodded, also with a new hope kindled inside of her.

"Kairu-san, I'm going with you," Hinata informed her quietly.

"Hinata-san, it's too dangerous."

Hinata shook her head. "I can take care of myself, but I will not let you go out there alone, where no one will be able to reach you if anything goes wrong."

Hoseki looked at her cautiously. "Who _are_ you? I didn't even know you were a ninja until I got caught in your chakra strings."

"I am Hyuuga Hinata, a shinobi from Konoha," Hinata informed quietly. She allowed the illusion to drop, revealing her pale, lavender eyes.

"A Konoha shinobi?" Koeru inquired from the doorway, her golden curls bobbing cheerfully. "Hinata-chan, your eyes look different."

Hinata's jaw dropped. "I-I-I…f-for the c-competition, you see…"

"Oh, that's not a big deal," shrugged the plump young woman as she plopped down on the edge of the bed. "My eyes aren't really green. They're boring and brown, but my aunt said I should wear colored contacts for the competition," she explained matter-of-factly. "So, what were you saying about shinobi?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**Hinata Kicks Some Ass Arc**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hinata, Hoseki, Kaoru, and Kairu set off in a small boat. The latter had insisted on coming, since she was the best at communicating with the dolphins that now circled the craft, and she also knew how to work the sail.

Instead of making fake babies out of straw, Hinata had created two real-looking and real-sounding clones of the two boys. They neared the fleet of ships in silence.

Hinata counted seven large ships, each looking to be carrying about 20-30 soldiers. As they neared, they could make out the individual men on the boats.

"There's Niisan!" Hoseki informed. "I recognize the uniform of the soldiers on that ship. His special brigade is on that ship! If I can just get close enough to talk to him, I'm sure we can straighten everything out."

"And the other ships?"

"I don't recognize all of their uniforms, but they're all wearing Earth Country colors."

OOOOO

Yarita Yarimaru stood at the helm of his ship scanning the mass of small islands in the distance. The message should have been received by now. They could have hired a stealth force of shinobi to extract the children, but he wanted this imprisonment to be official.

Island Country had no defense. They would be forced to cooperate. Sure enough, he could just make out the outline of a small boat on the water. _Takasamaru, I won't let you down. I will bring your children back to you, I promise. _

The seven large ships were spread out in a v formation, with two ships neck and neck at the front. Yarimaru went to the side and turned on his headset that would allow him to communicate with the other six commanding officers.

"There are a handful of people on the boat. We will direct them to board this ship. Once the children are secure and we have the woman in custody, we will turn around and return home."

Yarimaru frowned. He was picking up some shouting from one of the commander's headphones. A fight seemed to have broken out on one of the ships in the rear. It was the one carrying the group of soldiers that had gone over land to chase the woman. They'd picked up a boat and sailors from the continent coast nearest Island Country. He sighed. _Oh well, since Island Country appears to be cooperating, we won't need them if they aren't together when the boat reaches us._

"Sorry," came the apologetic officer's voice after a number of minutes. "The crew on this boat is highly superstitious. Don't worry. I've got them under control now."

Eventually, the ship was close enough for Yarimaru to make out that there were several women in the boat. One of them appeared to be waving at him frantically.

He gasped. _What is Hoseki doing here?!_

Suddenly, an arrow from the ship to the left sailed through the air aimed directly at Kaoru-san.

"What are you doing?! Hold your fire!" Yarimaru shouted into his headpiece. "You'll hit the children, you idiots!"

Hinata leaped out of the boat and deftly snatched the arrow out of the air. Her fist clenched angrily around the shaft, snapping it in two. She had resolved to wait and see what the Earth Country delegates would do, but the soldiers really _did_ mean to kill Kaoru-san and her children. _That is unforgivable. Naruto-kun would never stand for such a thing. And neither will Hyuuga Hinata!_

"Everyone get down! Cover your heads!" Hinata commanded. She leaped back into the center of the boat and moved into the starting position of the Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms as the archers on the right boat at the front prepared to launch their volley of arrows.

"STOP! I COMMAND YOU TO HALT!" Yarimaru screamed into the megaphone one of his men had scrounged up for him. "THERE ARE INNOCENTS ON THAT BOAT! _HALT_!"

He watched in horror as the rain of arrows sped through the air toward his sister and Takasamaru's baby boys.

OOOOO

"KAORU!" Takasamaru screamed as Neji and Lee struggled to keep him from leaping into the water.

"This is bad," ground out Shikaku as he surveyed the unfolding scene. "On top of it all, the wind seems to have died down. We're never going to make it in time…"

"Kaoru…" Takasamaru sobbed. "What good are all of those strategies and plans if we can't _get_ to them. Oh God…are those _arrows_…?" he trailed off, all hope draining from his face as the cloud of black sailed across the water.

"It's fine," Shino reassured him calmly as he viewed the scene through his binoculars.

"_That's_…!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Indeed," Shino answered.

"Yup, everything's going to be fine," Chouji agreed from further down the railing.

"That's the hopeful spirit of youth!" Gai sensei cheered.

"What…?" Takasamaru mumbled. The shock and stress had left him speechless.

Shino moved to stand directly in front of him. Though his sunglasses and coat blocked most of his face, it was easy to tell that he was looking directly at Takasamaru with a serious expression.

"Do not fear. We will protect your most important loved ones," Shino declared. _And we will also protect our own. _Then he turned without another word and leaped over the railing.

Kiba followed, but directed Akamaru to stay on the ship. Akamaru barked that he had other ideas, so Kiba scooped him up into his jacket.

"What are you doing?" Neji shouted, still holding onto Takasamaru's arm.

"You guys weren't supposed to move yet!" Shikamaru called wildly, trying to yell loudly enough for Shino to hear and come back. "OI! Kiba!"

"Sorry about your plans, Shikamaru," Kiba winked, "but it seems Team 8 has already started." Then he was over the side and racing after his teammate.

"What do those idiots think they're doing?!" Inoichi blustered. Then he moved to make a seal. "I can get Kiba with the Mind Technique. Shino's already too far away. Shikaku?"

"I must do my part!" Lee cried before he also hopped over the railing.

"Lee, get back here!" Inoichi snapped, quickly redirecting the aim of his Mind Technique. The boy in his green jumpsuit jumped obediently back into the boat, but Kiba was now too far away. Inoichi sighed irritably.

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**Author's Notes:**

**1) "Neji, what do your Byakugan eyes see?!" cried Lee. (A/N: Sorry, I had a LOTR moment there.)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If you recognize anything or anyone from the anime, I'm just borrowing. If you don't recognize it, then it's mine because I made it up. Set during the time-skip/pre-Shippuuden. **

**Reviews Creative Energy**

OOOOO

Chapter 10

OOOOO

"Were any of the Iruka-chan's injured?" Hinata asked quietly, keeping her attention on the attacking boat.

"No, they were okay since they were behind us," Kairu answered shakily.

The soldiers on the right hand boat were eyeing them cautiously, while the ones on the rest of the boats were either yelling at the boat or getting ready to launch smaller longboats. One of the boats was filled with confusion as soldiers and sailors fought amongst each other.

"I want you to return to the island quickly. Take the Iruka-chan's and go. I will take care of the soldiers."

"Hinata, you can't face them alone," Hoseki argued.

"You _must_ go with them, Hoseki-san. There are many dangers here. There could already be a group of soldiers going after the boys and Megumi-san. Go and protect them." Kairu and Kaoru quickly scrambled out of the boat and latched onto the fins of the dolphins.

"Hinata…"

"Hoseki, you must! There is no one else! Go!"

Hoseki leaped into the water and the three sped away just as a tiny black cloud appeared in front of Hinata.

"Shino!" Hinata exclaimed.

The group of Kikai bugs flashed their secret team signal and flew off after the fleeing girls.

Hinata nodded to herself. Although she had no clue how her teammates had gotten here, Shino and Kiba would look after the girls. She would deal with the boats. Her left hand rose high into the air, extending her chakra high into the atmosphere, while the right made a small circle beside her right hip. _Cold down, warm up._ Through the tenketsu in her feet she began embedding a large amount of chakra into the water. Hinata's arms switched places in the same instant she began her version of the Hyuuga Kaiten.

OOOOO

"Your wife is safe, Takasamaru-sama," Chouji reassured him. "She is heading back to the island as we speak and Shino and Kiba are going after them to make sure they're alright."

"The boys? Did they get out of the boat, too?"

"They were fakes. I'm sure your wife wouldn't risk bringing them out like that. She has probably left them in the care of friends on Dolphin Island."

Takasamaru sighed as the heavy weight momentarily lifted from his shoulders.

A small waterspout appeared on the water, quickly growing and gaining mass.

"The Lady of the Waves is moving to protect the islands," a sailor nodded firmly as he gazed in awe over the water. "Those soldiers will never make it past her fury. The Lady has protected the Dolphin Islands for as long as anyone can remember."

"The Dolphin Islands has its own Kage?" Lee asked confusedly.

"No!" the sailor replied adamantly. "The Lady of the Waves is not a person. She's…a goddess."

"_Goddess_?" Shikamaru grumbled. "How troublesome."

Neji focused his Byakugan and used the binoculars at the same time. "There is definitely a person inside of that cyclone, a shinobi, to be precise. There is a large amount of chakra in that vortex. In fact…"

The men, older and younger, watched as the cyclone of wind, water, and chakra bore down on the offending boat to the right.

Arrows flew, and curses, too. Some of the smarter soldiers jumped ship and tried to swim out of the way. Others followed—though not by choice—when the cyclone smashed through the middle of the ship. The soldiers that had lowered themselves into longboats to begin the assault on the main island waited uncertainly before the cyclone swiftly changed course and headed directly toward them. They scrambled to get away, but there was no avoiding a cyclone of that magnitude.

OOOOO

"What?!" Yarimaru heard one of his officer's shout. It was the same one with the superstitious sailors. "Get back here!" Apparently, the sailors had decided not to risk getting caught in the wrath that the soldiers had incurred and were swimming as far away from the ship as possible. Yarimaru was watching the whole scene unfold with a sort of detached surrealism. Hoseki had somehow avoided injury, as had Takasamaru's wife. He looked on as one by one the ships of the Earth Country were smashed by the angry tornado.

"Yarita-san, what would you have us do?" asked his right-hand man, Gorochi. "We will stand by you to the end. Just tell us how we should proceed." Though the rest of the military body had fallen apart, his own soldiers stood silent, resolute, and ready to meet their fate.

"If we make an offering of flowers, the Lady of the Waves might forgive us," suggested a nervous-looking sailor.

"How are we supposed to get flowers in the middle of the ocean?" asked the baffled Gorochi.

"It's just a suggestion," the sailor shrugged nervously.

OOOOO

"Who is that person?" Neji asked with a hint of awe in his voice.

Chouji looked at him strangely. "Can't you tell? She just used her signature move back there."

"What?" Neji frowned.

"The Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms. That's Hinata's trademark move. She used it to deflect all of the arrows. Don't you train with her? Shouldn't you know that?"

Neji's jaw dropped inelegantly. His mind had been telling him he knew that signature, and even that spin, but logic had fought against phenomenon.

"Are you saying that…Are you telling me that's _Hinata-sama_ in the tornado facing all of those soldiers on her own?"

"Yeah! And she'd doing a great job, too," Chouji said loyally. "Though we need to get to her soon. That new move has to take a lot of chakra out of her."

Neji stared for another few seconds before he, too, leapt the railing.

Not to be outdone by the reserved and stoic shinobi in the impetuosity department, Lee quickly followed. This time Chouji went with him, and the older shinobi didn't bother stopping them, too busy watching with their eyes bugging out and their mouths open. Gai stood with his fists clenched, proud tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Lee! Neji! I'm so proud of your youthful enthusiasm!" Then he was over the side.

Shikamaru sighed. "It's troublesome, but I'd better go and make sure they don't get into trouble. If there _are_ any Stone Shinobi, things could get difficult."

A minute passed.

"I can't help feeling a little out of the loop," Chouza admitted.

"Ah," agreed the other two members of the original InoShikaCho.

OOOOO

Kairu, Kaoru, and Hoseki climbed out of the water and sprinted across the sand toward the building where they had left Megumi with the twin boys. A mound of earth suddenly transformed into a Stone Shinobi that threw several shuriken at the group. There were several loud clinks as three kunai collided with the shuriken mid-air.

"Gatsuuga!" A mini-horizontal cyclone barreled into the shinobi, smashing him into the ground, where he lay still.

An intimidating young man appeared in front of them. Kairu and Kaoru rushed into the low building.

"Where are the children?" he asked in a low voice. Sunglasses and a high-collared coat covered his face.

"Like I would ever tell you!" Hoseki roared before leaping to punch him in the face.

Shino easily sidestepped, but grabbed the girl around the waist and leaped out of the way as an exploding tag tied to a kunai appeared at their feet. Shino unceremoniously pushed the girl into the doorway the other two had fled into and sent his Kikaichuu to take care of the hidden shinobi that had just given away his position.

OOOOO

Gorochi snorted. The sailors had somehow found a little bouquet. One of them apparently had a girlfriend on the island. The first sailor that had suggested the offering stood directly behind the railing and held the flowers up meekly as the tornado sped closer.

The cyclone dissipated into a mist that thickened eerily. The sailor's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of long, flowing, dark blue hair, pale eyes like pearls, and flashes of green and blue material. He felt his knees weaken and dropped to the deck of the boat, meekly holding the bouquet of flowers above his head.

"Lady of the Waves, please have mercy on us."

Hinata stared down in red-faced embarrassment at the nearly prostrate man. _It's a good thing Kakashi-sensei taught me how to create mist_, she thought to herself. Without a word, she gently took the flowers and slipped wordlessly into the protective fog. Just like Megumi-san had said, it was all about presentation, right?

Hinata stepped between Yarita Yarimaru and the soldier beside him.

"Yarita-san, Hoseki-san wishes to speak with you about the truth behind the lies encircling Earth Country. Will you come?"

"Yes," he answered firmly. This girl had protected his sister, so he trusted her—even if she did just level six of his ships.

OOOOO

"Chouza, keep an eye on the boys, will you?" Shikaku directed. "Inoichi and I will take Takasamaru-sama to find his family."

"Roger!"

Chouza cheerfully prodded a couple of sailors to wake them up out of their daze and get them to direct the boat toward the island. Suddenly, something pricked his senses and he turned to look behind them. Sure enough, there was another boat moving toward them.

OOOOO

Six boats and numerous smaller longboats lay ruined. Soldiers and sailors scrambled to get a hold of various pieces of flotsam and jetsam to keep them afloat. A few shinobi popped up onto the surface of the water, balancing uneasily. For all of their ninja training, the undulating ocean was not their natural terrain. Those the Konoha chunin tracked down. A few of the smarter ones, who really had nothing personal against the lovely Dolphin Islands, sunk back down into the water and humbly clutched pieces of wood to keep afloat. A few put up a brief resistance, but the scramble to not drown had taken the fight out of most of them.

OOOOO

"So you see, Niisan, it was Nusumaru all along. When I saw Takasamaru-Niisan all banged up like that…" Hoseki explained.

"If we hurry…perhaps we can still save Takasamaru before Nusumaru…"

Yarimaru clenched his fist.

"He was in a coma when I last saw him," he whispered. "I can't believe I fell for such a deception."

"He is not in a coma now," Shino informed them. He sat calmly on the floor with Hinata's exhausted figure nestled against his shoulder.

"How do you know?" Yarimaru narrowed his eyes.

"He came with us on the boat, and he's running up the path as we speak."

All eyes turned to the open doorway and the figure sprinting across the sand.

OOOOO

Takasamaru and Kaoru nuzzled their babies and each other affectionately. Megumi, Hoseki, and Yarimaru, his hand on his sister's shoulder, happily watched their heartfelt reunion.

Kairu blinked as a small pug-nosed dog carefully poked his face around the doorframe and sniffed the air. He stepped calmly to where Hinata was resting and sniffed her a few times.

"Pakkun?" Hinata murmured.

"Yo!" The ninja dog returned, lifting one paw in greeting. "It looks like things are under control here. I'll be back shortly."

Pakkun disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"D-D-Did that dog just _talk_?" Hoseki sputtered.

A few moments later, they heard quiet footsteps coming down the walkway. Kakashi could be as silent as…something really quiet, but when unexpectedly joining up with your fellow shinobi, it was best to give them a little warning so they didn't accidentally try to skewer you.

"Yare, yare. What an interesting mess," he noted before stepping into the room.

He sat down on the floor next to Shino and brought a canister out of his pack. He opened it and sniffed it warily. Then he shrugged and tilted Hinata's delicate chin up to help her sip the medicine she had given him.

Hinata swallowed slowly until enough strength had returned that she could finish the draught on her own. A minute later, her chakra had almost fully returned.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yo! You did very well, Hinata."

Hinata turned pink at the praise. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

"How is the situation with the soldiers?" Shino inquired.

"Ah, right. That's why I'm here." Kakashi stood up and bowed formally. "Yarita-san, I am here to inform you that your presence is…"

Kakashi studied the couple on the floor with the babies. "Are you Takasamaru-sama?"

"Yes," Takasamaru nodded slowly.

"Hoh…what an interesting development."

Kakashi proceeded to explain how he had been sent to track down a handful of renegade Stone Shinobi that had been causing trouble near the borders of one of the smaller kingdoms near Earth Country's border. There he had discovered a plot to take over Earth Country.

"I followed the culprits and got most of them, but the leader escaped. I caught up with him only a few days ago. He was disguising himself as one of the high-up leaders of the Earth Country Council."

"Which leader?" Shino asked.

"Jishin Nusumaru, the younger cousin of the ruler of Earth Country. The imposter had been in his place for some time, perhaps even a number of months. It is uncertain what happened to the real Jishin Nusumaru."

"So…uncle didn't betray us after all…" Takasamaru murmured quietly.

"Yarita-san," Shino began. "It might be good to make sure the soldiers are in order. It is important that they understand the truth so that there will not be any misunderstandings."

Yarimaru nodded and politely took his leave.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as Kiba flirted shamelessly with some of the contestants who were waiting for their turn to perform. His cheeks reddened imperceptibly as his thoughts turned to a certain bold, blond Sand kunoichi. _I wonder what Temari's talent would be_, he thought to himself. For the most part, the rest of their cohort stood silently and stoically at the back of the audience. Young women in the crowd kept turning to eye the shinobi, especially Neji, with appreciate looks.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hinata gulped audibly and pulled her face away from the tiny opening in the curtain.

"I can't do it after all, Megumi-san. I just can't."

Megumi's eyes narrowed strictly. "Hinata-chan, you _can_ do it. You _must_ do it. Not for me, but for yourself. You've worked so hard to prepare yourself. Are you really going to give up now?"

Hinata made a small noise of mortified distress as she peeked once more at the delegation from Konoha. If only the boys wouldn't stand in a row like that. They looked like a panel of silent judges!

"Hinata," Megumi's expression softened as she sighed the younger girl's name. "It's not the end of the world. You don't have to go out there trying to win the competition. Just go out and enjoy yourself. You look beautiful. Your fans are eagerly waiting to see your performance. Don't you want to share that with your friends?"

Hinata squeaked what might have been a yes or a no, but Megumi decided to take it as an affirmative.

"Good!" she exclaimed.

Hinata started and looked back at her as the older woman shoved her through the curtain and onto the stage.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"There's Hinata!" Chouji shouted excitedly.

"Where?" Neji asked.

"Right there!"

"Where? I don't see her at all."

Shino froze, his gaze locked on the voluptuous figure on the stage. As the girl on the platform began to move and sway to the music, he felt his throat go dry and his brain go numb. He'd always known his Hyuuga teammate had a more curvy figure than her baggy sweaters let on, but…this was the first time he had ever seen her acting in a _purposefully_ sexy way and dressed…like that.

"No," Neji flat out denied, even when Chouji helpfully turned his head in the right direction. "No, that can't possibly be Hinata-sama."

"Why not? Hinata's very graceful and beautiful. Don't you think so?"

"But, but, but…!" Neji's flustered face grew redder and redder.

"But what?" Chouji prodded.

"But she's not wearing enough clothes!"

Kiba wolf-whistled cheerfully, and Neji broke off his slightly horrified stare to glare at the happy-go-lucky nin-dog user.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Hazukashii! (I'm so embarrassed!)" Hinata whispered as she stealthy slipped behind a copse of trees and tiptoed her way back to the changing rooms. She had snuck out after the awards ceremony and was assiduously trying to avoid anyone from Konoha. _It's okay. I'm a ninja! I can sneak out without anyone seeing me, and, and…put a paper bag over my head for the rest of the journey!_ It wasn't a fool-proof plan, but it was all she had at the moment.

_Just past this door…_

Several pairs of hands suddenly reached out and pulled her into the room.

Loud cheers rang in Hinata's ears. Kairu, decked out in the complete Miss Beautiful gown and crown smothered her in a hug and spun her around before tugging her onto a small stage.

"Ladies, lets hear it for the girl who saved the pageant, our lives, and the whole of Island Country!"

The temperature of Hinata's face slowly rose and rose until steam was practically pouring out of her ears. She barely heard the rest of the speeches and would have fallen over in a dead faint if various girls hadn't kept coming up and hugging her.

At one point she gazed down in amazement at the medal the other girls had awarded her and fingered its cool smoothness. When it came time to give her own little speech, however, all she could manage was a squeaky but heartfelt, "A-Arigatoo."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hinata introduced her new friends to her old comrades. She had tried to slip back into her normal shinobi pants and jacket, but Megumi had somehow spirited them away for the time being and conveniently had an "emergency" summer dress in her size. Her fingers fiddled with a little ribbon on the bodice as hoards of people milled around to talk to the pageant girls.

Koeru tucked her arm into Hinata's and the two spoke quietly as various girls wondered past with their well-wishing. Miyako, Mieko, Hoseki and the rest eventually crowded around, too. The general warmth of affectionate conversation and bubbling enthusiasm soon filled the area as girls promised to write, visit, etc.

A handful of rowdy young men ambled into view and, for some reason, headed straight for Hinata.

"Hey, cutie! We loved your dance!"

"Ano…" Hinata backed away uncertainly.

"What happened to your pretty little sexy outfit? Think you could change back into it so we could take some pictures together?"

Suddenly, a wall of muscle appeared between Hinata and the offending young men.

"Uh. Hey! What's the deal!?" the closest one demanded as one of his friends suddenly swung and punched him in the face.

Hinata glanced down to see the shadows linking the young man and Shikamaru. Neji and Shino stood just ahead and to the left and right of her. Chouji stood ready and patient to help in way necessary. Kiba and Lee were the only ones missing.

"Excuse us for the interruption," Neji suddenly bowed to Hinata's companion. Then he added, in all polite seriousness, "Please continue with your girl talk," before disappearing from view with two guys held by the scruff of the neck. Shino and Chouji had already carried their prisoners away, while Shikamaru had merely wandered off to lie down on the sand and watch the clouds.

Hinata chuckled, and Kairu grinned at her.

"Your friends are very protective and…energetic."

"Hai," Hinata agreed just as her eyes turned to where Kairu was looking. There was Lee with leis of flowers around his neck and waist. He was apparently in the middle of challenging one of the pageant girls to a hula hoop contest. "Hai! They're the best!" Hinata giggled.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hinata stood at the railing of the ship as she looked back at the retreating islands. She looked down at the shiny medallion on the ribbon around her neck and smiled.

"I'm proud of you, Hinata," Kakashi said from where he'd appeared at her side.

Hinata turned pink at the praise and beamed up at him.

"Arigatoo, Kakashi-sensei."

"I'm proud of you, too, Hinata!" Chouji chimed in loyally.

Hinata giggled and rewarded him with a sudden hug. "Arigatoo, Chouji-kun!"

"Hey! Where's my hug?" Kiba barked out with a grin. Hinata jumped into his embrace and kissed Akamaru on the top of his head.

When Hinata stepped away, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind and turned her gently to face a large light-colored coat. Shino whispered softly into her ear, and Hinata flushed from the tip of her chin to the roots of her hair. Her stoic teammate held her just a bit longer than anyone else, though Kiba refrained from commenting and merely shared a little smirk with Akamaru.

Neji watched his cousin quietly from the side. She seemed so happy, almost glowing with positive energy. He'd never seen that kind of smile on her face before, and he resolved he would do whatever it took to keep it there. Neji approached her place at the railing and spoke quietly. "Hinata-sama, you have truly become strong, and I, too, am also very proud of you."

Hinata froze, and Neji started when she turned to him with eyes swimming with tears.

"N-Neji-n-niisan," she sniffed. Hinata buried her face against his chest and wailed happily.

Neji looked around as his panic increased. How had he made her cry?! He was trying to be encouraging! He looked to the resident genius. Perhaps he knew how to still the flood of a crying female.

Shikamaru merely shrugged at him.

Neji patted Hinata's back awkwardly and murmured something soothing and stupid-sounding, but that seemed to work just fine. When she looked up at him and smiled, he knew things would be alright. Neji let her keep her arm linked through his, and Shino stood on Hinata's right with his hand resting on her shoulder as the Konoha shinobi watched the sunset on their journey home.

**Owari**


End file.
